AARRRGGHGHH!! Out of the frying pan into the fire! I haven't tried Shotwell so I guess I spoke too soon. I use Picasa anyway. The Linux version isn't as good as the Windows version, but I like it better than the other ones out there.

F-spot makes duplicates of my photos. Good riddance! One copy of each pic is enough, thank you!

Hey, I didn't claim I wasn't a douchebag. :) I know what you mean, though. I used to bitch and moan about being here a long time ago. Got over it. I guess I grew up.

Actually, I not only speak the language, I have a degree in it. :) Relax man, I meant it tongue in cheek.

One things that's cool about being in Japan is you don't have to tip. Of course, there's a downside. Even when a restaurant makes a mistake, you will *NEVER* get comped. This was about 10 years ago, but I was eating and a cockroach appeared on the table. No joke. The waitress was mortified and came over and immediately killed the roach and cleaned the table. I then had to pay full price for my meal. Hello? A roach shows up on the table and I still pay? They should have paid ME! Other than that, you don't have to tip here. Kinda nice.

I know it's kind of a longshot, but I say look for some kind of work like what you're proposing. It's off the beaten path, for sure. But that's where some great ideas can come from. I think your wife being a counselor can actually be a good thing. Someone here wrote "the last thing they need in Haiti is Deanna Troi". That's probably because Deanna Troi was a worthless, useless character whose trite dialog would have made her disappear from the screen if it weren't for the actress' cleavage. Doing 1-2 weeks of computer work or counseling is a hard one to nail down, but look out there. Write to/email churches or other volunteer groups, and just ask. I'm sure someone will come up with something. Hey, what could it hurt? Good hunting!

He's not the best candidate ever, but he's the most experienced and the most conservative of the three.